Mates for Life 2023

THINK! research shows that 8 in 10 young men agree it is unacceptable to drive over the legal limit and note personal responsibility to intervene, but almost a third say they would feel uncomfortable asking a friend not to drink when they were driving. 

This winter, THINK! is re-launching the Mates for Life campaign to empower friends to intervene if the moment arises with the message ‘A mate doesn’t let a mate drink drive’. 

The campaign leads with the Mates for Life film which illustrates a young man urging his friend not to drink and drive by reminding him of the lifelong friendship and adventures they are yet to have. This follows last winter’s successful campaign which led to 7 in 10 young men taking action as a result of seeing our content, including stopping a friend drinking before driving. 

Our films are running across Instagram, Snapchat, and Reddit with paid promotion. We are supporting these with new paid out of home assets to target our audience closer to the moment of risk. These new beermats and digital posters encourage young men to intervene by listening out for justifications their friends may give for drinking before driving.  

THINK! is once again joining forces with drinks producer Diageo to continue promoting our drink driving campaign messages through Guinness. This year will see THINK! support an exciting initiative from Guinness 0.0% and Greene King pubs to help designated drivers get everyone home safely. At over 470 participating pubs across the country, drivers will be able to show their car keys at the till and get a free Guinness 0.0% to enjoy an alcohol-free option with their mates. You can learn more about this opportunity on the Guinness website.

Their campaign activity will also drive audiences to Diageo’s new ‘Wrong Side of the Road’ tool, which provides an interactive online experience to learn about the consequences of drink driving.  

Follow @THINKgovuk On Twitter, @THINKroadsafety on Facebook and @thinkdriver on Instagram to discover and share more content from the campaign or download at the links below. 

Assets supplied are free to use for educational purposes, however if used in a paid-for capacity (particularly outside of the national campaign period) usage fees may apply. For more information on this, please contact dftpublicity@dft.gov.uk 

To download any of the videos below,  select your chosen video, which will bring up the video player. Click on the ‘Vimeo’ logo in the bottom right of the video player and head to our Vimeo page, where you can download directly. 

The facts

  • Drink driving is illegal and puts lives at risk.
  • It is not possible to say how much alcohol you can drink and stay below the limit. The way alcohol affects you depends on:
    • your weight, age, sex and metabolism (the rate your body uses energy)
    • the type and amount of alcohol you’re drinking
    • what you’ve eaten recently
    • your stress levels at the time
  • So if you’re driving, it’s better to have none for the road.
  • IAM RoadSmart calculates that a drink drive conviction could cost up to £70,00 as a result of fines, solicitors fees, increase in the cost of car insurance, and losing a job.

The law

There are strict alcohol limits for UK drivers:

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the legal alcohol limit for drivers is:

  • 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
  • 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood
  • 107 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine

In Scotland (from 5 December 2014), the legal alcohol limit for drivers is lower at:

  • 22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
  • 50 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood
  • 67 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.

The consequences

There are strict penalties if you are convicted of drink driving, including:

  • a minimum 12 month driving ban
  • a criminal record
  • an unlimited fine
  • up to 6 months in prison
  • an endorsement on your licence for 11 years

The maximum penalty for causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs is 14 years in prison, with a minimum driving ban of two years.

In addition to these penalties are the everyday consequences of being caught drink driving which can include:

  • increase in car insurance costs
  • job loss
  • trouble getting in to countries like the USA
  • the shame of having a criminal record
  • loss of independence